


simplicity for the wicked

by onefortheocean



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Crying, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-02
Updated: 2014-02-02
Packaged: 2018-01-10 22:58:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1165595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onefortheocean/pseuds/onefortheocean
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He looks down at the toy, and his eyes aren't judgmental and he doesn't think that it's ridiculous that she's in her twenties and turns to  a stuffed animal for comfort.</p>
            </blockquote>





	simplicity for the wicked

**Author's Note:**

> OOC, depends on whether you look at the glass as half full or half empty.

Clint doesn't say anything about the stuffed toy on her nightstand the first time he spends the night, doesn't even remark when she wakes up in tears, pulls the toy to her and cries into its fur. He just holds her, wordlessly shifts to accommodate the extra space of the small monkey in her arms. 

It's actually a gorilla, and in her head she names it Puck. A long time ago she watched a movie with a baby gorilla called Puck in it, and it's stuck in her head ever since. 

One night, when it feels like the world is crashing down around her and the demons in her head chants evil doings in her ear, he strokes her hair and asks, "You want me to get it?" She doesn't know how she knows, or how he knows, but they both understand that he's talking about Puck because calling him a plushie or a stuffy feels like calling a dear friend merely a stack of flesh and bone. She nods weakly, pulls the hood of her (once his) pullover over her head and disappears in the large garment. 

When he hands her the toy she presses her face into the black fur, breathes in the fresh scent and tugs on his left ear. She stares into the marble eyes defiantly, daring him to face her fears in her stead. 

Puck's presence makes the situation a hundred times easier to bear, but she hates herself a thousandfold for being so codependant, which Clint had told her she was allowed to be. But she couldn't, because love is for children and so are soothing objects like plushies and the comfort of others. 

He sits next to her until she crawls into his arms, sits sideways on his lap and fiddles with Pucks fingers. He looks down at the toy, and his eyes aren't judgmental and he doesn't think that it's ridiculous that she's in her twenties and turns to a stuffed animal for comfort. Because that's what they've done to her, without the programming fear reinstates until she's nothing more than a scared little girl wanting nothing else than her teddy bear. Because when you're young you turn to objects and when you're an adult you turn to people, and before Clint she's never allowed herself to let people in. 

"Does it have a name?" He asks. 

It feels right to reply, 

"Puck." A quiet whisper, the first time she says it out loud. 

"Like a hockey puck?" He chuckles. 

The corner of her mouth quirks, "Just Puck." 

He nods in understanding, puts a hand to the side of the toy and looks it up and down, eyes the right ear that's been sewn on poorly after she ripped it off during a nightmare, notes the mismatched eyes. He understands her, and he's not one to judge her for seeking comfort in something simple.

**Author's Note:**

> If you guessed Gorillas In The Mist for the movie then you are correct. Holler, check out my other stories.


End file.
